How to Build the Ultimate Off-Road Power System with Dual Batteries

When you’re out on the trail, you want to be sure that you can use every part of your vehicle. The last thing you want to be dealing with is a dead battery or lights that won’t turn on when the sun goes down. Unfortunately, your Jeep Wrangler battery has a big job and it can’t power all your accessories and get the engine started up without wearing out at some point. That’s why having a dual-Jeep battery system is such a great idea. By having enough power for everything you might need out in the wilderness, you can rest easy when you head out for adventure.

What is a Dual-Battery System?

In most vehicles, you’ll have one Jeep battery that powers everything on the vehicle. Everything from starting the engine to running the lights to powering your winch will be done by a single power source. However, if you’re running a lot of different accessories and pieces of equipment when you’re off-roading, this might prove to be a little too much for a single battery, and adding a second one can give you the peace of mind you need. With a dual-battery system, you can have a single primary battery for starting the vehicle and another auxiliary battery for running all the accessories and equipment. This way, even if your auxiliary battery dies from overuse, you can still get the engine started and get yourself home safely. Anyone serious about wilderness driving or off-road adventures needs to be sure that they can get their vehicle started no matter how much they’ve relied on it to keep themselves safe and comfortable.

Benefits of a Dual-Battery System

Prevents Drain on Your Starter Battery

Perhaps the biggest benefit of a dual-battery for a Jeep is the prevention of drain on the starter battery. Whether you have off-roading gear like a winch or camping equipment like lighting or charging banks, you want to be able to use it to its fullest extent without worrying about draining your starter battery. With a dedicated battery for each job, you can be sure that you won’t have starting issues in the morning.

Reliable Power for Accessories

Getting yourself in and out of the wilderness is a key part of off-roading and with only one Jeep Wrangler battery, you may not be able to take advantage of all your off-road gear. Winches, for example, are key pieces of equipment for an outdoor adventure and if you need to conserve power for starting, you may not be as willing to use your winch. With a dual-battery setup, though, you always have enough juice.

What to Look for in a Dual-Battery Setup

Battery Type

When building out a dual-battery system for your Jeep, it’s important to know what to look for. For your starter battery, a standard lead-acid or AGM unit will be sufficient. For the auxiliary battery, though, you may need a deep-cycle AGM, gel, or lithium-ion battery and a battery relay to do power management. With the right batteries and accessories, you can properly select the power source for each task and keep everything running as smoothly as possible.

Capacity

While the starter battery for your dual system will be a standard Jeep battery, you have a few more options when it comes to the auxiliary battery for powering accessories. The amp-hour (Ah) rating is important and the more accessories and equipment you have, the higher it needs to be. Most auxiliary batteries are somewhere between 50Ah and 200Ah. It’s always better to have more capacity than what you think you’ll need since you may end up upgrading your vehicle or adding more equipment and you don’t want to have to get a new Jeep battery when that time comes.

Space Considerations

As with any addition of equipment to a vehicle, adding a second Jeep battery will require some space considerations. A dual battery tray can help you fit the second battery without having to make too many adjustments to the engine compartment or the battery box, though there will be some challenges with fitting everything in. Making sure that you have the space to fit the second battery will ensure that you can get your dual system installed without having to pull the whole electrical system apart. If you’re ready to upgrade your Jeep’s electrical capabilities, ExtremeTerrain has you covered. With everything from dual battery trays to relays to deep-cycle batteries, you can get your offroad vehicle ready for anything. Plus, with fast shipping, you don’t have to wait around to start your next offroad adventure.